All to soon the dances came to an end and Archie lead a smiling Leigha off the floor. He caught the eye of a footman, who sported a tray of champagne, and gestured him over. He grabbed two glasses and handed one to Leigha.
"Thank you." She smiled wider and took a delicate sip. Archie watched the movement of her throat and lightly tugged at his cravat which felt a little tighter.
"You dance wonderfully, Miss Sommes." He said, trying to make conversation.
"Why, thank you, Mr. Kennedy," she beamed, "you, too, dance superbly. Your actually very graceful."
Archie chuckled, "You sound surprised, Madame. I am a sailor, you know."
"What does that have to do with being graceful?"
"Well," he said with a twinkle in his eyes, "you have to develop some grace aboard ship, with it's constant pitching and rolling. If not, you'll be forever weaving and falling."
Leigha chuckled, "I guess I can understand that. I appreciate your explaining it to me."
"Miss Sommes," Archie began, "it's rather warm in here, can I entice you into taking a turn with me around the gardens?"
"Mr. Kennedy, you can lead me into temptation itself," Leigha teased, "but a turn through the gardens will do for now."
Archie laughed and offered his arm to her.
***************************************************************
Lady Sommes watched them leave the ballroom with a jaundiced eye. She walked up to her husband and said peevishly, "Sir, your daughter is behaving with the loosest sort of morals. She is making herself ridiculous. You should do something about it before she brings shame upon herself."
"Leave her alone, Leona, " he snapped, "for God's sake, she's going out into a garden with plenty of other people around."
"Ainsley, " Leona whined, "Leigha is too old to throw herself at some poor unsuspecting gentleman's head. I, daresay, that anyone as handsome as that can only have no good on his mind in regard to the girl. He will only use her and cast her aside."
"Lady Sommes, " Ainsley growled, "leave her be! Leigha is old enough and sensible enough to know what she is doing. If there is one lady in my family I can trust when it comes to character, it's my own daughter."
"Fine, Sir Ainsley," Leona replied shrewishly, "but when your darling daughter finds herself seduced and thrown away, I will delight in saying 'I told you so'!"
And with that, she stormed away.
***************************************************************
"It's a beautiful night," Leigha sighed rapturously as she and Archie meandered their way through the gardens.
"Yes, it is," Archie agreed enthusiastically, "and made even more beautiful by my present company."
Leigha stopped suddenly, "You don't have to put on the Prince Charming act with me, Lt. Kennedy. I don't need to be mollycoddled, I thought you were different."
"What is your problem, Miss Sommes?" Asked Archie in annayance, "This is the second time you have nearly bitten my head off for paying you a compliment."
Leigha just stared at him mutely which infuriated him further.
"GAAH!" He exploded, "You would try the patience of a stone saint! I am being absolutely sincere! Most women get upset because you don't pay them compliments enough; you get upset because I do pay you compliments! What makes you so perverse, Madame?!"
He watched surprise cross her features, but he was on roll, "I like you! You're witty and charming. Honest, sincere and, damn it, fascinating! So, from now on, when I pay you a compliment, you are going to smile and say 'thank you, Archie.' Understood?"
"Yes, sir," Leigha said meekly, but she had a faint smile on her lips.
Archie wound down and answered her smile with one of his own. He then questioned, "Why do you get so upset when I pay you a compliment?"
Leigha shrugged, "I suppose I'm not accustomed to receiving them. No one pays me compliments, sir."
"No one pays you compliments?" Archie repeated stupidly, "You're joking?"
"No, I am not. Between Leona and Genevieve, the blonde goddesses, why should anyone notice the small, dark troll?" Leigha asked bitterly. "Oh sure, my father compliments me on what a dutiful daughter I am. My younger brother, Charles, tells me I'm a great sport for a girl. As to other compliments, no, I receive none."
"Surely, some gentleman has told you how pretty you are?"
"No, Mr. Kennedy, never. Gentlemen don't find me pretty. They find my dowry attractive, but not me. Mostly, I'm the sour pill that goes with the cure."
"My sex can be quite dense and rather mercenary. Allow me to make up for their negligence; you, Miss Sommes, are one of the most handsome woman of my aquaintance."
Leigha blushed and smiled up at him, "Thank you...Archie.'
"There now," he murmured, "that wasn't so hard, was it?"
"No, it wasn't hard a'tall."
During this exchange they had moved closer to each other and a silence sprang up between them as they became aware of their proximity to the other. Archie stared down at her for a moment before licking his bottom lip. He said nothing as he reached out an arm to wrap about her waist. Leigha sighed as he pulled her closer, she lowered her eyelids and watched his progress through her lashes. All she could see was the blue of his eyes meld with the night sky before he, too, closed his eyes. She felt his breath against her lips and she waited with her heart beating in her throat as his mouth moved closer and closer, until...
He sneezed.
Leigha jumped back and blinked in disbelief. Her mouth dropped open and all she could do was gape. Archie looked completely stunned and mortified. He couldn't believe it, he sneezed! He actually, honest to goodness, in the middle of a romantic moment, sneezed on the poor girl!
"This will give her a favorable impression of you as a lover, you great fool," he muttered to himself. Mentally, he bent over and planted a swift kick tto his bum.
"I-I-I'm sorry, Leigha," he stammered, cursing himself silently, "this really is quite-er-well..."
Leigha's eyes grew wide and sparkled with moisture.
"Oh great, you bloody sod," he thought, "you ruined it for her. Now she's going to cry."
Her shoulders started to tremble and then to Archie's astonishment, she laughed. She held one arm across her stomach and the other gripped Archie's upper arm.
"Oh...my...God," she gasped, wiping tears from her eyes, "I...oh, heavens!"
Archie stared at her as if she had gone stark raving mad, then suddenly the absurdity of the situation struck him as well. He gave alight chuckle before breaking into a full throated laugh. the garden rang out with their peals of merriment, as they held each other upright.
"I. Think. I. Could. Fall. In. Love. With. You..." Archie struggled to get out and pulled Leigha closer.
The laughter faded as quickly as it came and in the soft light of the moon, two shadows blended into one.
"Thank you." She smiled wider and took a delicate sip. Archie watched the movement of her throat and lightly tugged at his cravat which felt a little tighter.
"You dance wonderfully, Miss Sommes." He said, trying to make conversation.
"Why, thank you, Mr. Kennedy," she beamed, "you, too, dance superbly. Your actually very graceful."
Archie chuckled, "You sound surprised, Madame. I am a sailor, you know."
"What does that have to do with being graceful?"
"Well," he said with a twinkle in his eyes, "you have to develop some grace aboard ship, with it's constant pitching and rolling. If not, you'll be forever weaving and falling."
Leigha chuckled, "I guess I can understand that. I appreciate your explaining it to me."
"Miss Sommes," Archie began, "it's rather warm in here, can I entice you into taking a turn with me around the gardens?"
"Mr. Kennedy, you can lead me into temptation itself," Leigha teased, "but a turn through the gardens will do for now."
Archie laughed and offered his arm to her.
***************************************************************
Lady Sommes watched them leave the ballroom with a jaundiced eye. She walked up to her husband and said peevishly, "Sir, your daughter is behaving with the loosest sort of morals. She is making herself ridiculous. You should do something about it before she brings shame upon herself."
"Leave her alone, Leona, " he snapped, "for God's sake, she's going out into a garden with plenty of other people around."
"Ainsley, " Leona whined, "Leigha is too old to throw herself at some poor unsuspecting gentleman's head. I, daresay, that anyone as handsome as that can only have no good on his mind in regard to the girl. He will only use her and cast her aside."
"Lady Sommes, " Ainsley growled, "leave her be! Leigha is old enough and sensible enough to know what she is doing. If there is one lady in my family I can trust when it comes to character, it's my own daughter."
"Fine, Sir Ainsley," Leona replied shrewishly, "but when your darling daughter finds herself seduced and thrown away, I will delight in saying 'I told you so'!"
And with that, she stormed away.
***************************************************************
"It's a beautiful night," Leigha sighed rapturously as she and Archie meandered their way through the gardens.
"Yes, it is," Archie agreed enthusiastically, "and made even more beautiful by my present company."
Leigha stopped suddenly, "You don't have to put on the Prince Charming act with me, Lt. Kennedy. I don't need to be mollycoddled, I thought you were different."
"What is your problem, Miss Sommes?" Asked Archie in annayance, "This is the second time you have nearly bitten my head off for paying you a compliment."
Leigha just stared at him mutely which infuriated him further.
"GAAH!" He exploded, "You would try the patience of a stone saint! I am being absolutely sincere! Most women get upset because you don't pay them compliments enough; you get upset because I do pay you compliments! What makes you so perverse, Madame?!"
He watched surprise cross her features, but he was on roll, "I like you! You're witty and charming. Honest, sincere and, damn it, fascinating! So, from now on, when I pay you a compliment, you are going to smile and say 'thank you, Archie.' Understood?"
"Yes, sir," Leigha said meekly, but she had a faint smile on her lips.
Archie wound down and answered her smile with one of his own. He then questioned, "Why do you get so upset when I pay you a compliment?"
Leigha shrugged, "I suppose I'm not accustomed to receiving them. No one pays me compliments, sir."
"No one pays you compliments?" Archie repeated stupidly, "You're joking?"
"No, I am not. Between Leona and Genevieve, the blonde goddesses, why should anyone notice the small, dark troll?" Leigha asked bitterly. "Oh sure, my father compliments me on what a dutiful daughter I am. My younger brother, Charles, tells me I'm a great sport for a girl. As to other compliments, no, I receive none."
"Surely, some gentleman has told you how pretty you are?"
"No, Mr. Kennedy, never. Gentlemen don't find me pretty. They find my dowry attractive, but not me. Mostly, I'm the sour pill that goes with the cure."
"My sex can be quite dense and rather mercenary. Allow me to make up for their negligence; you, Miss Sommes, are one of the most handsome woman of my aquaintance."
Leigha blushed and smiled up at him, "Thank you...Archie.'
"There now," he murmured, "that wasn't so hard, was it?"
"No, it wasn't hard a'tall."
During this exchange they had moved closer to each other and a silence sprang up between them as they became aware of their proximity to the other. Archie stared down at her for a moment before licking his bottom lip. He said nothing as he reached out an arm to wrap about her waist. Leigha sighed as he pulled her closer, she lowered her eyelids and watched his progress through her lashes. All she could see was the blue of his eyes meld with the night sky before he, too, closed his eyes. She felt his breath against her lips and she waited with her heart beating in her throat as his mouth moved closer and closer, until...
He sneezed.
Leigha jumped back and blinked in disbelief. Her mouth dropped open and all she could do was gape. Archie looked completely stunned and mortified. He couldn't believe it, he sneezed! He actually, honest to goodness, in the middle of a romantic moment, sneezed on the poor girl!
"This will give her a favorable impression of you as a lover, you great fool," he muttered to himself. Mentally, he bent over and planted a swift kick tto his bum.
"I-I-I'm sorry, Leigha," he stammered, cursing himself silently, "this really is quite-er-well..."
Leigha's eyes grew wide and sparkled with moisture.
"Oh great, you bloody sod," he thought, "you ruined it for her. Now she's going to cry."
Her shoulders started to tremble and then to Archie's astonishment, she laughed. She held one arm across her stomach and the other gripped Archie's upper arm.
"Oh...my...God," she gasped, wiping tears from her eyes, "I...oh, heavens!"
Archie stared at her as if she had gone stark raving mad, then suddenly the absurdity of the situation struck him as well. He gave alight chuckle before breaking into a full throated laugh. the garden rang out with their peals of merriment, as they held each other upright.
"I. Think. I. Could. Fall. In. Love. With. You..." Archie struggled to get out and pulled Leigha closer.
The laughter faded as quickly as it came and in the soft light of the moon, two shadows blended into one.